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OSLO, Norway (AP) -- At least 1,000 people were being
evacuated from the center of a Norwegian town today due to
fears that a burning freight train might explode.

Two freight trains collided and burst into flames during the night
at a train station in Lillestroem, 10 miles north of Oslo. No one
was injured in the 1 a.m. crash.

However, one of the burning trains carried 104 tons of explosive
propane gas, and police ordered a 700 yard area around the
station evacuated. Police sounded the local alert sirens and
broadcast orders to flee the downtown area.

''The situation is dangerous inside that area,'' police Chief
Joergen Hoeydal said. He estimated that 1,000 to 2,000 people
were to be evacuated.

The accident also stopped train traffic along the line, including
express trains serving the national airport north of the capital.
AP-NY-04-05-00 0744EDT<

The fire might not be put out for hours
People from two towns near Oslo have been
evacuated, amid fears of an explosion after a train with
104 tonnes of liquid propane on board crashed into
another train and caught fire.

More than 2,000 people, including schoolchildren and
hospital patients, were moved away after the collision
at Lillestroem station, about 20km (12 miles) north of
the capital.

Police cordoned off the area around the station, and
the neighbouring town of Raelingen.

Firefighters fear a massive fireball could destroy
nearby buildings and send a shower of debris over the
area.

No-one was hurt in the crash, which happened when
one train ran into the back of another on one of
Norway's busiest lines.

One tank ruptured

"We believe that all the people are out of the area,"
said Deputy Police Chief, Asbjoern Gran. "An
explosion would be extremely violent."

One propane tank ruptured in the accident and is on
fire.

The main danger is that a sealed tank on the next
wagon could explode as well.

Firefighters are trying to cool the second tank.

"It could take many hours
for the fire to burn out,"
Asbjoern Gran said.

The crash was Norway's
second major accident this
year.

Nineteen people died in
January when two
passenger trains collided
head-on in south Norway,
apparently after a driver
went through a red light.

Streets of Lillestroem are virtually deserted and
blanketed in snow.

"It's kind of scary because we still don't know what's
going on," said 17-year-old Anne Torbjoernsen.

Others complained that police waited until after dawn
before deciding to evacuate residents.

Gas-tankers still burning - 3000 people evacuated from downtown
Lillestroem

Parts of central Lillestroem, near Oslo, were evacuated Wednesday
morning, after rail tankers with liquid propane gas caught fire,
following a train crash around midnight.

No one was hurt when a goods train rammed another at Lillestroem
station.

Police fear that the two rail tankers with more than 100 tons of
propane will burn out of control. Their greatest concern is that the
one tanker that has not caught fire will explode.

The fire is at the moment moderate, and the tankers are being cooled
down. Water cannons are pouring 5000 liter water per minute over the
tankers. Experts from the Directorate for Fire and Explosives
Protection are monitoring the temperature.

The hope is that the gas will burn out under control, but the
authorities deemed the evacuation of an area with 800 meter radius
necessary.

More than 3000 people have now been evacuated. A hospital, the local
jail and a public school are among the buildings within, or near the
area.

It is feared that the fire may burn for many hours, maybe days.
Experts indicate 40 hours.

It is still uncertain how the accident could happen. The train was
equipped with automatic train stop, and this stretch of railroad is
considered one of the safest in the country.

However, the engineer of one of the trains has reportedly said that
the brakes on the train that carried the propane had failed.

The railroads have appointed a commission to look into the cause of
the accident.

All rail traffic through Lillestroem station, including the Oslo
Airport Express, has been stopped. The main highways through the city
have also been closed.

Travellers are being transported around Lillestroem by bus and taxi.
Some planes may be delayed by late-coming passengers.

The fire has caused great difficulty also for the railways, and many
trains in South Eastern Norway are delayed or cancelled.